IT 967 

.L84 
2opy 1 



The Art of Honing a Razor, 



The Art of Shaving. 



Copyright 1884, by Charles H. Lonergan, in the Office 
of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. 



The Art of Honing a Razor. 

The first essential to painless and easy shav- 
ing is by use of a keen cutting razor, any of 
celebrated makes will do, but for " self-shav- 
ing" none answers the purpose so well as the 
wedge-shaped blade, always avoiding the 
" hollow-ground" or so-called " rattlers" gen- 
erally used by barbers, for the reason they 
arc so thin the edge will spring on a coarse 
beard, and will not cut so well as the thicker 
blades, which also hold a keen edge longer, 
and in all respects do better for private use. 
Next, after . procuring a good water hone, 
with " rubber," a small slate stone always sold 
with the hone, and used to lubricate the hone 
with the aid of a sufficient amount of water, 
and rubbing this on the hone until a fine grit 
is evenly distributed over the surface. This 
done, and your hone placed in a firm position, 
you then proceed by stroking gently, the 
razor being placed on the side, bearing on it 
only sufficient to keep it firmly on the stone, 
drawing it from "heel to point" (the heel is 
the point nearest the handle, and the opposite 
the point), with the edge forward, and alter- 
nating the side after each stroke, and thus 
successively until a fine edge is obtained. If, 
during this process, the razor should click, 
jump, or give other evidence of some foreign 
substance between the razor and hone, it 
should be immediately removed by washing 




Fig, 1. 



both hone and razor, rather than trouble 
looking for the mite or particle which caused 
it, as it will cause small "nicks" or breaks in 
the edge "of your razor, which you can deter- 
mine by the use of a magnifying glass. Fig. I 
is the glass preferred by the 
i writer for the purpose in 
'question, and it would be 
always better before pro- 
ceeding to use the hone, to 
examine the cd^c of the 
razor, as shown in Fig. V, 
in order to determine the 
amount of irregularities in 
the edge, then you know 
where to look for them, and 
when pres- 
ent, t h e y 
will appear 
under the 
field of the 
glass as in 
Fig. :l 

A g a i n , 
during the 
proeess of 
h o n i n g , 
from time 
to time pass 
the edge of 
your razor 
across your 
wet thumb 
o r finger 
nail to clean 
it of what 
is called the 
'wire edge,' 
after which 
again u s e 





the hone until vou have a perfect, smooth 
edge, which, when obtained, will appear as 
shown in Fig. 2. Always make your exam- 
ination in a good light, holding the glass, by 
means of the fenestrations on the side, close 
to the eye and the razor close to the glass, 
and then focusing to your sight. After do- 
ing this a few times, you will soon become 
an adept in the use of it. When the edge is 
perfect, it will look uniformly smooth under 
the field of the glass, Fig. 2. 

By closely studying the foregoing instruc- 
tions, any person may in a short time become 
an adept at putting a razor in perfect order. 



The Art of Shaving. 

Many persons declare they cannot shave {.horn- 
selves, hnt after learning the first principles thev find 
it "easy shaving" — the primary being a good sharp 
razor, and secondly how to use it. 

After the face is well lathered and commencing to 
shave where the beard begins to grow at a point in 
front of the ear. with the razor in either hand holding 
the edge against the beard, and keeping the back of 
the razor close enough to the skin and without touch- 
ing it, at the same time drawing the muscles' of ihe 
opposi;e side of the face in order to tighten the skin 
of die part vou are about to shave (as, by so doing, 
vou will find it impossible to cut your face while 
shaving, as cutting is always by lack of observance 
of this rule), and at the same time giving a scythe-like 
or cu ting moLion, carefully avoiding the scraping or 
pulling down motion, and shaving with the growth 
of the beard, not against the "grain," keeping in 
mind one grand principle in shaving, never turn the 
edge of the razor against the skin. 

With the foregoing rules well in mind, vou will 
have no trouble in -having, and overcome the dread 
of cutting yourself, and above all, the diseases likely 



to be contracted in barber sbops from the use of 
unclean cups and razors, or shaving after some one 
with a loathsome skin disease. 

After using a razor, always wipe it dry and clean, 
for by so doing moisture will not rust the fine edge; 
and to better insure against rust, carefully strap on a 
good leather strap kept especially for that purpose. 

The following hints may prove valuable in deter- 
mining the qualities of a razor: If after shaving 
carefully, you again examine the edge by the aid of 
the glass as in Fig. 2, and you find the edge turned, 
or in any way imperfect, it is safe to conclude that 
the razor is too soft or too hard. If the former, the 
edge will be turned or worn off; if the latter, it will 
be serrated and appear "broken out 1 ' along the edge, 
and therefore in purchasing a razor it is always better 
to adopt the plan generally adopted by barbers, i. e., 
to obtain the cutler's sanction toalloAv you, by paying 
a trifle more, a reasonable length of time to try one 
after another until you get one to suit you. By this 
means you obtain all you wish in a razor. 

Address 

C. H. LONERGAN, 

Driving Park, Chicago, 111. 

Note. 






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